Last year, at EAA AirVenture 2008, over 5,000 attendees
witnessed the first public flight demonstration of the Martin
Jetpack.

Since then, the Martin Aircraft Company has made immense strides
to improve the basic design and ease of operation of the prototype;
most notably, the company has converted to a fly-by wire system
allowing novice jetpack pilots to safely solo the aircraft within
an hour of training. Over the last year, nearly 5,000 test
flights have been performed without injury.

The dual-fan technology compares to that of jet skis and jet
boats, with a coherent stream of air exiting the fanjets allowing a
pilot to be strapped in upright.

Glenn Martin first developed the Martin Jetpack concept in 1981
and after thirty years of research, received verification on the
design by the University of Canterbury’s Mechanical
Engineering Department. Produced to meet the requirements of
the FAA Part 103 regulations, the jetpack is classified as an
“ultralight” in the United States.

Though its ultralight classification does not require a license
to fly, the Martin Aircraft Company requires all owners to pass the
company’s pilot program before receipt of their
aircraft. Modeled after standard helicopter training, the
program is held at the Martin Aircraft Company in Christchurch, New
Zealand.

Recently, the company announced it was holding an eBay auction
for the opportunity to be an official jetpack test pilot.
Running until Thursday, September, 24th, the auction winner will
become the first person outside the development team to fly the
Martin Jetpack. Currently, at the time of this publication,
the highest bid received is $30,000 with only a day to go until the
auction closes.